Pendergrass, Muenzer buildings sold in downtown Hollister

Two downtown buildings were recently sold, including the historic Pendergrass building at Fifth and San Benito streets, according to an announcement at Wednesday’s quarterly breakfast meeting of the Hollister Downtown Association.

Building preservationist Tim Lantz, who recently had another San Benito Street structure burn down before he agreed to sell that property to the Del Curto Brothers, sold the four-story Pendergrass building to electrician Josh Watt, HDA Executive Director Brenda Weatherly confirmed, acknowledging prior breakfast meeting announcements.

Former Hollister Mayor J.E. Pendergrass built the structure in 1927 and named it Hotel Pendergrass. It later became the Holland Hotel, a longtime fixture in downtown Hollister, and subsequently drew various other businesses.

About a block down Fifth Street on the other side of San Benito, the Muenzer family sold its building that formerly housed the iconic, local sporting goods store under the same name to local property investor Fernando Gonzalez, Weatherly said. The Muenzer’s shop operated for 102 years, not all at the Fifth Street spot, before closing in 2012. The building itself was constructed at some point close to the mid-20th century.

The owner and HDA are hoping for “the right tenant” to take over the location, she said.
“We’re brainstorming,” Weatherly said. “That building could make for an awesome gym.”
Weatherly said with the transactions, the HDA is hopeful the moves will lead to renovations of those two buildings as well.

“It’s always great when you have people who are buying up buildings that are for sale,” Weatherly said.

The Pendergrass Building in more recent years housed The Broken Wing bar and later the Pendergrass Restaurant on the ground floor.